>> "It appears" and "suggests"?  Any evidence or reliable observations on record?

> "The queen is fed more frequently and lays more eggs until the week before swarming, when workers feed her less, her egg laying decreases, and her abdomen diminishes in weight..."  P 184 The Biology of the Honey Bee, Winston  references follow the quote.

The original statement being challenged was:

> Prior to swarming, it appears that the queen is starved by the workers in order to slim down.  That observation suggests that they refuse her solicitation.

To me that Winston quote does not suggest anything -- except that the workers feed her less.  

Please forgive me.  I tend to be really dense that way and obstinately insist that a passage means exactly what it says and not what the reader wishes it to say.  (This personality quirk -- being literal-minded -- makes me quite unpopular with the biobee and small cell people).

Why do the workers feed her less?  It simply does not say.  

If we were guessing, could we not just as easily guess that she asks for less?  We're told that bees can hardly resist begging.

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